Not-guilty’ verdict in trial of driver who killed Provincetown boy

The bench trial of a woman charged with motor vehicle homicide in the death of 16-year-old Blake Packard ended in a not-guilty verdict after a single day of testimony.

Staff reports

The bench trial of a woman charged with motor vehicle homicide in the death of 16-year-old Blake Packard ended in a not-guilty verdict after a single day of testimony.

Erika Salloux, 44, of Cambridge, was on trial in connection with the July 14, 2011 crash on Route 6 that killed Packard. She had admitted to being the driver of the Toyota Scion that struck the teen as he was walking his bicycle along the highway.
What was termed "inconsistent testimony" was heard concerning Van Hoof Packard's position in relation to the white fog line on the side of the two-lane highway at the time that he was struck. Ashlie Davis, 16, a friend of Packard’s who was walking behind him at the time of the accident, testified, as did an accident reconstruction expert, Officer Duane Boucher of the Orleans Police Dept., and two drivers who witnessed the collision.

Salloux did not take the stand. Following the testimony, Salloux's lawyer, J.W. Carney Jr., said he was not going to call an expert witness.

A short time later Judge Thomas Kirkman handed down the not-guilty finding.
Van Hoof Packard, a Florida resident, was a regular visitor to Provincetown, where his mother, Leslie Packard, resides.